Sudan

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are supporting the Sudanese memorandum of understanding signed on 6 February; if so, by what methods; and whether they will encourage the monitors of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development and United States peace process to work towards reconciliation between the Dinka and Nuer tribes to prevent further ceasefire violations.

Baroness Amos: We do support the addendum to memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cessation of hostilities signed on 4 February between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). The addendum aims to strengthen the MoU which was signed at Machakos on 15 October 2002 and extended on 18 November 2002. It contains many new and welcome initiatives to build confidence between the parties and make more unlikely the sorts of outbreaks of fighting which we have seen recently in Western Upper Nile.
	We also welcome the establishment of the new verification and monitoring team (VMT). We are ready to contribute both personnel and funds to support its important work.
	The VMT will investigate alleged violations of the MoU by the Government of Sudan and the SPLM/A. The VMT will report to the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) MoU Committee chaired by the Kenyan special envoy, Lt-General Sumbeiywo.
	The Sudan peace talks are facilitated by IGAD. The US, alongside the UK, Norway and Italy has observer status at the talks.

Zimbabwe: Cricket

Lord Blaker: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On what date they first advised (a) the England and Wales Cricket Board and (b) the Professional Cricketers' Association about the undesirability of the England cricket team playing a test match in Zimbabwe in the course of the current cricket World Cup series.

Baroness Amos: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials first discussed Zimbabwe in relation to the Cricket World Cup with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) at a meeting on 5 July 2002. A minute recording this meeting has been placed in the Library of the House. FCO and DCMS Ministers and officials met the ECB and the Professional Cricketers' Association on 9 January 2003. They reiterated the Government's position on the England cricket team playing in Zimbabwe at the current time.

Treasury Counsel

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Chancellor on 10 February (WA 76), whether the Lord Chancellor participates either directly or indirectly with the appointment of Treasury Counsel.

Lord Irvine of Lairg: My noble and learned friend Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney-General is responsible for appointing Treasury Counsel. In doing so, he may consult widely and his consultations could extend to the Lord Chancellor if he so chose.

Ram Doctrine

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they consider it to be in accordance with contemporary principles of British parliamentary democracy for legislation to be necessary (in a political, if not a legal sense) to authorise an extension of Ministers' powers; and, if not, why not; and
	Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 22 January (WA 98), whether reliance on the so-called Ram doctrine is compatible with a modern system of public law, including the principles of legality and legal certainty; and, if so, how; and
	In what circumstances and upon how many occasions during the past five years Ministers of the Crown and their departments have relied upon the Ram doctrine as the legal basis for the exercise of their public powers; and
	What were the circumstances that gave rise to the Ram doctrine.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Ram doctrine reflects a well-established principle of constitutional law. Like many other persons, Ministers and their departments have common law powers which derive from the Crown's status as a corporation sole. Ministers and their departments also exercise prerogative powers of the Crown. Common law and prerogative powers may be limited by statute either expressly or by necessary implication and in this respect are subject to direct parliamentary control. The courts have recognised the legitimacy of these principles.
	Whether legislation is necessary or appropriate to authorise government actions depends on the circumstances and the matters in issue. Sometimes it will be clear that legislation is needed, for example, when the proposed action might substantially interfere with human rights. In such cases a clear and reasonably accessible legal framework is required in order to comply with human rights law. At other times, the legal necessity for legislation will not be clear, in which case a political as well as a legal judgment has to be made as to whether legislation is desirable. Such a judgment may take into account a number of factors, including whether the proposed action is a priority and whether authorising that action by legislating represents a good use of Parliamentary time.
	The principles governing the use of the annual Appropriation Act to provide authority for the exercise of functions by government departments where such functions may involve financial liabilities extending beyond a year are stated in the Public Accounts Committee Concordant, 1932 (see Annex 2.1 of Government Accounting 2000).
	During the past five years, as in previous periods, the common law powers of the Crown have often been relied upon as the legal basis for government action. Common law powers form the basis of such governmental actions as entering into contracts, employing staff, conveying property and other management functions not provided for by statute either expressly or by implication. To require parliamentary authority for every exercise of the common law powers exercisable by the Crown either would impose upon Parliament an impossible burden or produce legislation in terms that simply reproduced the common law.
	Finally, the circumstances that gave rise to the Ram doctrine are that the Ram opinion (the text of which was made available when an earlier Question (HL595) was answered on 22 January 2003) was given when the Ministers of the Crown (Transfer of Functions) Bill was being considered. This Bill later became the Ministers of the Crown (Transfer of Functions) Act 1946. The opinion addresses the need for legislation to confer power to add new functions to exisiting government departments by order. At that time Ministers were considering machinery of government changes following the Second World War.

Equality Legislation

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether work being undertaken by them in Northern Ireland in preparing a single equality Bill is to be matched by similar work in Great Britain.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: No. Equality legislation is devolved to Northern Ireland and the decision to move towards a single equality Bill was made by Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive in light of the particular history and circumstances there.
	With the current suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Northern Ireland Ministers agree that the work should progress so that on their return local Ministers will have fuller information upon which to base their future decisions on the issue.
	In Great Britain the circumstances are different. Work is under way to take forward the Government's full agenda of action on equality matters, including targeted legislation.

Corporation Tax Reforms

Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much money they have raised from 1997 to date from the levying of tax on dividends flowing into pension funds.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government's package of corporation tax reforms included measures to boost corporate investment by removing tax distortions. The withdrawal of payable tax credits on dividends was just one part of these measures. Pension funds and others will share in the long-term benefits from these changes to corporation tax.
	The outturn effect on tax receipts of these changes will depend on a variety of factors, including pension schemes' asset allocation and investment policies, as well as investment returns generally.

Krebs Tuberculosis Trials

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What extra resources have been made available in both human and financial terms to catch up with the Krebs tuberculosis trials since the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001.

Lord Whitty: Field work associated with the Krebs badger culling trial was suspended during the foot and mouth disease outbreak as a disease control measure. Normal field operations resumed fully during 2002. An additional £300,000 was made available to the Central Science Laboratory (CSL) (£50,000 to provide additional manpower during the busiest part of the year and £250,000 for additional survey work). £900,000 was made available for replacement traps etc.
	During 2002–03 an additional £3 million has been made available to the State Veterinary Service (SVS) to recruit staff to help clear the backlog of overdue TB tests and to cope with the increase in numbers of TB breakdowns. Local veterinary inspectors who carry out much of the routine and backlog TB testing have significantly stepped up their work on behalf of Defra, resulting in an increased spend in this area as well. Veterinary Laboratories Agency costs associated with laboratory diagnosis of bovine TB have also been increased substantially. It is not possible to identify separately the proportion of these additional resources which were directed to badger culling trial areas.
	In addition, new contracts were placed with the CSL to collect badgers killed in road traffic accidents at a cost of £90,000 and with ADAS to work on TB99 questionnaires at a cost of £150,000.

Hunting Bill

Earl Peel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What discussions they have held with the National Gamekeepers Organisation or the Campaign for Shooting about concerns expressed by both organisations that the present Hunting Bill will limit the way in which gamekeepers can use dogs to conserve game and wild birds, despite government pledges not to interfere with shooting; and
	What advice they intend to give to the 6,000 gamekeepers who use terriers to locate and bolt foxes and mink from under ground for pest control purposes; and whether this practice will be illegal without registration.

Lord Whitty: The National Gamekeepers Organisation wrote on 9 July 2002 in response to the consultation letter sent to them by my right honourable friend the Minister for Rural Affairs, and my right honourable friend met them on 22 July to discuss their concerns, including about the use of dogs underground. I understand the organisation, Campaign for Shooting, is part of the Countryside Alliance, with whom my right honourable friend has been in regular contact.
	Under the provisions of the Hunting Bill a person intending to use a dog underground will be required to make an application for registration. An applicant would have to show evidence that both the tests of utility and cruelty are met in the case of the particular hunting proposed. The registrar will determine the application on the basis of an objective assessment of all the evidence provided, whether the activity satisfies the two tests.

Grey Squirrels

Lord Inglewood: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are prepared to deploy lethal and humane measures to control grey squirrels in the light of the record of non-lethal and humane measures.

Lord Whitty: Grey squirrels, unlike our native red squirrels, are not a protected species and owners and occupiers of land and property may control them if they feel this is necessary to prevent damage. Private pest control contractors may also be employed to undertake this work. The actual method of control is also at the discretion of those carrying out the work, provided that the method used does not contravene current legislation, such as the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986.

CPS Racist Monitoring Annual Report

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the Crown Prosecution Service expects to publish the racist incident monitoring annual report for the years to the end of March 2001 and 2002.

Lord Goldsmith: The Crown Prosecution Service Racist Monitoring Annual Report for the period 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001 was published on 8 July 2002. The report for the year ending 31 March 2002 will be published early next month.
	As in previous years, the report will be lodged in the Libraries of both Houses and will be accessible via the Internet on the CPS website at www.cps.gov.uk.

Asylum Seekers: Checks

Lord Roberts of Conwy: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether steps are currently being taken to check that immigrants and asylum seekers are not members of international terrorist organisations such as the Al' Qaeda network.

Lord Filkin: All asylum seekers are screened in a three-tier process.
	First, the details of all asylum seekers are checked against the warnings index.
	Secondly, their fingerprints are taken and checked against existing Home Office records and EURODAC and they are photographed. It is our aim to issue all asylum seekers with an application registration card.
	The third stage, the interview, has different levels of screening which allow for those with acceptable evidence of identity and nationality to be fed into the system while allowing for more in-depth screening interviews for those with little or no credible evidence. Should there be any indication given during any of the processes that someone might be of security interest, the information is quickly passed on to the appropriate agencies.
	As regards non-asylum seekers (visitors, students, those joining family members here and others), appropriate checks are made when a visa is applied for, at the point of entry and when any application for further leave is made. These include checks against the warnings index, the use of local intelligence and UK-held records, targeted examination of persons on entry, the close checking of documents for fraud and the use of profiling where appropriate.

Asylum Seekers from Zimbabwe

Baroness Williams of Crosby: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to continue their temporary freeze on deportations of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe.

Lord Filkin: The temporary suspension of the removal of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe remains under review.

Oakington Asylum Centre

Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the weekly cost of running the Oakington asylum centre.

Lord Filkin: The estimated weekly cost of providing the facilities at Oakington in 2001–02, the last full year for which information was available, was £288,000. The comparable (provisional) figure for the first six months of 2002–03 was £294,000.

Asylum Applications

Viscount Goschen: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will define the precise terms of their pledge to reduce by September the number of asylum applications by half; and whether they will specify over which periods comparisons will be made.

Lord Filkin: The Government are looking to reduce the number of new asylum applications by around half compared with the number last October. We are seeking to achieve this by September this year.

Rape

Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What further consideration they have given to the comments of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Ackner, on 19 November 2002 (HL Deb, col. 298) on the question of jury treatment of date rape cases in rape trials.

Lord Filkin: The Government had already given comprehensive and detailed consideration to the suggestion that there should be a separate offence of date rape before the Command Paper Protecting The Public was introduced on 19 November. As I said to the noble and learned Lord, Lord Ackner, on 19 November 2002, the view we have taken is that rape is rape and cannot be divided into more and less serious offences. It can be equally as traumatic to be raped by someone you know and trust, who has chosen you as his victim, as it can be to be raped by a complete stranger.
	This remains the Government's position. We believe that the crime of rape is so serious that it needs to be considered in its totality rather than being constrained by any relationship between the parties. The issue of severity of the offence should be left to the judges on sentencing, rather than attempting to deal with it by creating a separate offence.
	This view is supported by the Sentencing Advisory Panel in its recently published guidelines on sentencing in cases of rape.

Road, Rail and Air Transport Breakdown, 30 January

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What were the causes of the breakdown in road, rail and air transport on 30 January following snowfalls.

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: Roads: The Secretary of State has asked the Highways Agency to look into the reasons why its procedures were not effective and what steps might be taken to help prevent a recurrence in the future.
	Rail: Most scheduled train services ran, albeit with some delays. The East Coast and West Coast Mainlines and commuter services north of London were worst affected due to a combination of frozen points, rollingstock and power failure and the inability of rail maintenance staff to reach affected parts of the network.
	Air Transport: Most airports operated relatively normally, but Stansted and Heathrow were badly affected. The main causes were problems with aircraft de-icing; difficulties experienced by airport and airline workers in getting to airports because of road and rail problems; and aircraft being out of position because of adverse weather conditions and cancellations.

Virgin Trains: Punctuality and Reliability

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the definitions of punctuality and reliability used by Virgin Trains are satisfactory, which were used in publicity exhibited by the company saying that trains were 94.4 per cent punctual and 97.7 per cent reliable in the four weeks commencing 8 December 2002.

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: Under existing franchises, all TOCs are required to publish Passengers' Charter figures every four weeks. The figures quoted were compiled by Virgin Trains under the Passengers' Charter system in accordance with this requirement.

Cars: Recyclability Standards

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they consider that the comparative labelling scheme they intend to introduce for cars measuring energy use should be developed so that end of life recyclability of components is included.

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The Department for Transport is now finalising the arrangements for piloting a comparative car label. It is not, however, intended that this label should indicate information on the end of life recyclability of the car's components. This is because consumer research shows that attempting to include too much environmental information in one simple rating could be confusing and counterproductive. The End-of-Life Vehicles Directive will in time require all vehicles to be designed to specified recyclability standards.

Access to Work Programme

Lord Ashley of Stoke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the current budget for the Access to Work programme; and by how much it has increased since 1997; and
	Whether they have any plans to increase the Access to Work budget.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: Access to Work helps disabled people move into or stay in jobs by removing barriers to work associated with their disability, and encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people by offering practical support.
	The budget for the current year is £44 million. Spending on the programme, together with the number of people helped, has increased in every year since 1997 and will do so again in 2003–04.
	
		
			 Year Numbers helped Net programme costs 
			 1997–98 12,825 £15 million 
			 1998–99 16,094 £21 million 
			 1999–2000 20,729 £27 million 
			 2000–01 25,887 £32 million 
			 2001–02 32,798 £42.5 million 
		
	
	Source: Departmental reports and Jobcentre Plus management information.

Access to Work Programme

Lord Ashley of Stoke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are their estimates of the percentages of (a) large employers; (b) small employers; and (c) all employers who are aware of the Access to Work programme.
	What plans they have to promote awareness of the Access to Work programme.
	Whether they have set any awareness targets for employers in relation to the Access to Work programme.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: We do not have a target for increasing employers' awareness of the Access to Work programme. However, a recent government study on barriers to employment for disabled people showed that 26 per cent of all employers were aware of the programme, including 32 per cent of large employers and 18 per cent of small employers.
	Information on all disability services is available from jobcentres and on the Jobcentre Plus web site. Jobcentre Plus invests around £300,000 per year marketing and publicising its specialised services and programmes for disabled people, including Access to Work, with promotional material available in a range of media such as leaflets, audiotapes and videos.

Access to Work Programme

Lord Ashley of Stoke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are aware of any research showing whether employers are reluctant to retrain workers who become disabled or to take on new workers who are disabled because they believe there will be additional costs for their company.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: Research evidence suggests that cost is not a major factor in influencing employers' attitudes towards recruitment and retention of disabled people. In a recent survey of employers 1 , 49 per cent of respondents thought there were no difficulties or were unable to say what the difficulties might be in recruiting a disabled employee; this figure was higher in the case of retaining disabled people (72 per cent). Cost was not mentioned as a difficulty in recruitment. Only 2 per cent cited it as a difficulty in retention.
	The experience of employers who have sought to retain disabled employees also suggests that cost does not play a major role. In the same survey, 78 per cent of employers with workers who had become disabled in post reported that they had made changes to retain the employee, including 19 per cent who said they had provided retraining for employees. Of those making adjustments, 20 per cent reported that the adjustment did not lead to any cost. A further 28 per cent stated that they regarded the cost as part of normal costs of the organisation.
	Research has also examined the factors influencing whether employers recruit disabled people or not. A survey of small employers 2 showed that only a small minority (4 per cent) of employers said they would not consider recruiting a person with a disability. Of these, only 4 per cent said the reason related to the cost of adapting premises or equipment.
	The department is currently undertaking further research on employers' attitudes towards the recruitment and retention of disabled employees under the Disability Discrimination Act. We anticipate that findings will be published in autumn 2003.
	1 Goldstone, C (2002) Barriers to Employment for Disabled People, DWP In-House Report 95.
	2 Meager, N. et al. (2001) Impact on Small Businesses of Lowering the DDA Part II Threshold, Disability Rights Commission, London.

Historic Environment

Lord Layard: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress has been made on implementing the recommendations contained in the Government's report on the historic environment: A Force for Our Future.

Baroness Blackstone: Since August 2002 the following has been achieved:
	August
	English Heritage completed its programme of establishing a historic environment forum in each of the regions.
	October
	HM Treasury confirmed that the listed places of worship grant scheme would continue until the review of the European Union VAT regime had been completed.
	The Government formally acceded to the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.
	November
	English Heritage launched the first State of the Historic Environment Report, which set out a framework for establishing indicators to measure the contribution the historic environment makes to the economy, education and communities.
	I announced a review of current heritage protection legislation. This will also cover the ecclesiastical exemption and consider a range of options for enhancing sites and monuments records.
	The Historic House Association (HHA) and the Black Environment Network (BEN) announced a joint scheme to identify new audiences for the historic environment by encouraging ethnic communities to become more involved with nearby historic attractions. Local community leaders will be invited to work with selected properties to extend involvement and enjoyment of these attractions within ethnic communities. Five pilot projects will be in place by spring 2003. They will be closely monitored and evaluated with a view to extending the programme in 2004.
	December
	The Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Bill was introduced into Parliament. The Bill will make it a criminal offence to trade in illegally removed cultural goods.
	The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill was introduced into Parliament. It will take forward a number of commitments from the planning statement Sustainable Communities: Delivering through planning.
	Heritage Link was officially launched. It will be cofunded by English Heritage and the National Trust. Priority areas for action in 2003 are the needs and potential of the voluntary sector; funding; inclusion; and land-use planning.
	National Archaeology Days 2002, organised by the Council for British Archaeology, achieved a 5 per cent increase in participating venues to 62 and a 66 per cent increase in estimated visitors to 90,000.
	January
	The National Trust launched Untold Story, a pilot project involving National Trust properties in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It will involve people in exploring and interpreting the significance of local properties through the medium of the performing arts.
	The National Trust began work with creative partnerships in Cornwall to develop a number of projects involving artists, poets and writers working with local schoolchildren to develop ideas and activities inspired by National Trust properties in Cornwall.
	February
	Reponsibility for underwater archaeology will be transferred to English Heritage shortly.
	Management plans are now in place for all but five of the world heritage sites in England. Management plans for the Tower of London and the city of Bath are scheduled for completion by February and October 2003 respectively. Work on the plans for Blenheim Palace and Westminster Palace and Abbey is ongoing, while work on Durham Cathedral and castle will begin shortly.

Northern Ireland Civil Service: Security Vetting

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answers by the Lord Privy Seal on 12 December 2002 (WA 48) and on 27 January (WA 138) about security vetting, how many posts in the Northern Ireland Civil Service are classified as sensitive posts or higher; how many of those post holders possess valid security clearances; whether any civil servants whose security clearances have expired were in post on 12 December 2002; and, if so, why.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: Her Majesty's Government have nothing further to add to the Answers given on 12 December 2002 (WA 48) and 27 January (WA 138).

Irish Language Agency

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 13 February (WA 144) concerning the appointment of a deputy chief executive to the Irish Language Agency, whether the successful applicant was confirmed in his post by the North/South Ministerial Council; and, if so, when.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: This appointment did not require approval by the North/South Ministerial Council.

Northern Ireland Railways

The Earl of Mar and Kellie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether Northern Ireland Railways is being prevented from expanding passenger services by shortage of rolling stock.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: Northern Ireland Railways has sufficient rolling stock to operate all the services required under its public service obligation agreement with the Department for Regional Development and for which it receives subsidy to cover its operating losses. Using its existing rolling stock the company could expand its passenger services at weekends but not on weekdays. However, low demand for additional services at weekends would not warrant the additional subsidy costs that would be entailed. The replacement of its existing 18 Class 80 trains with 23 new trains currently on order will in due course enable Translink to expand its services particularly at peak periods on weekdays.

Northern Ireland Railways

The Earl of Mar and Kellie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in comparison with the cost of rebuilding the Belfast-Bleach Green-Antrim railway, they regard the estimated £13 million for upgrading the Lisburn-Antrim railway as excessive.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The cost of reopening the railway line from Bleach Green junction to Antrim was approximately £17 million. For passengers from Antrim and all stations north and west of Antrim this has reduced the journey time to Belfast by about 20 minutes. The line now carries on average 1,100 passengers per day. However, the Lisburn to Antrim line now carries on average 70 passengers per day. On the basis of an economic appraisal which explored future growth patterns in the population serviced by the Antrim-Lisburn line, the case for significant capital investment on this line is not compelling.

Northern Ireland Railways

The Earl of Mar and Kellie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they agree with the proposal for a circular passenger service on the Belfast-Lisburn-Antrim-Bleach Green-Belfast railway line.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: We are currently proceeding to implement the consolidation option in the Railway Task Force's report of September 2000 as developed by the Regional Transportation Strategy for Northern Ireland 2002–12, the strategic direction and underlying principles of which were agreed by the Northern Ireland Assembly on 3 July 2002. Accordingly, we are currently upgrading the core railway network and purchasing new trains. If this investment is successful, we would hope to proceed to modernise the track north of Whitehead and Ballymena, subject to normal appraisal processes. The scenario of a Belfast-Lisburn-Antrim-Belfast passenger circle line, as envisaged in the Regional Development Strategy for Northern Ireland 2025, remains a longer-term possibility, if a robust financial, economic, social and transportation case can be made.

Medical Qualifications

Baroness Barker: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to recognise medical qualifications obtained by students at St George's Medical School, Grenada.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The recognition of medical qualifications for the purposes of admission to the medical register is a matter for the General Medical Council.

Health Protection Agency

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they plan to ensure that the requirements of the Food Standards Agency for joint working between the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, the Central Public Health Laboratory and the network of area and regional laboratories will continue after the formation of the Health Protection Agency on 1 April.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We intend that the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC), the Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL) and the regional laboratories will all be within the Health Protection Agency (HPA). The CDSC, the CPHL and the regional laboratories will continue their close working together in that context. The HPA will be commissioning analysis of food samples from other laboratories which currently provide this service at the current level, supported by memoranda of understanding and service level agreements as appropriate. All laboratories will be required to send samples to CPHL and reports to CDSC and to assist with outbreak management as necessary. This co-ordination between laboratories will be overseen by the HPA's local and regional public health microbiologists. The mode of working described in the current concordat between the Public Health Laboratory Service and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) will be continued. In time, a new concordat will be agreed between the HPA and the FSA to replace it.

Health Protection Agency

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What transitional funding will be allocated to the Health Protection Agency in 2003–04 to cover inevitable redundancies.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Decisions have not yet been made on the Department of Health central budget programme for 2003–04, so the overall sum available to the HPA, including funding for any redundancies, is not yet finalised. The HPA will not be able to agree its organisational structures until after its board has been appointed, so staff could not be identified as being at risk of redundancy until then. If staff are identified as being at risk they will be guaranteed employment for a period of 12 months from 1 April 2003 under the agreed change management protocol.

Human Embryos in Research

Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What treatments for children or adults with disabling conditions have been developed by use of human in vitro embryos since in vitro fertilisation became established in the early 1980s.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The use of human embryos in research has been regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) since its inception in 1991. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 permits a research licence to be granted for specified purposes, one of which is increasing knowledge about the causes of congenital disease. The HFEA has licensed 19 projects for this purpose but none specifically concerned disabling conditions.

Lactase Tablets

Lord Walton of Detchant: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will make available lactase tablets on prescription under the National Health Service in view of the benefit claimed by patients with lactose intolerance who use them regularly.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have no plans to make lactase tablets available on the National Health Service following advice from the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances.

Modernising Medical Careers

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have for modernising medical careers, in response to the consultation Unfinished Business: Proposals for Reform of the Senior House Officer grade.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have today placed in the Library copies of Modernising Medical Careers, the response of the four UK health Ministers to the consultation on Unfinished Business: Proposals for Reform of the Senior House Officer grade.
	The document sets out the results of our consultation which began last summer on the reform of training for senior house officers, who are doctors in the early stages of their specialist training. We received over 250 responses to our consultation and our proposals were broadly welcomed. The document we are publishing today sets the way ahead based on the results of the consultation and work which has been done since with the key stakeholders.
	Plans for reform will also extend to general practice training and will embrace the existing non-consultant career grades with easier routes back into training. Partnerships will work to test these out in a variety of National Health Service environments. Pilot projects will start later on this year and with major implementation following in 2004.

Universities: Archiving Students' Marked Work

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What benefits are gained by the archiving by universities of 25 per cent of written material as laid out in the Quality Assurance Agency's regulations; how much this is costing universities in storage; and how often this material has been re-accessed to ensure standardised marking over time.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Quality Assurance Agency is an independent body not under the responsibility of a government Minister. I am advised by the agency that its guidelines state that institutions should consider keeping an archive of samples of students' marked work but do not specify the sample size nor the time it should be kept. This is to enable institutions to evaluate periodically the maintenance and development of their academic standards. We do not hold centrally any information about the cost incurred in storing this material.

Lifetime Earnings: Graduates and the National Average

Lord Howie of Troon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish the statistical information on which the proposition that in a lifetime graduates earn £400,000 more than non-graduates over the same time is based.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The information requested is shown in the following table. The comparison is between graduates with a first degree and national average earnings. Lifetime Earnings: Graduates vs. The National Average Summary 1. First degree graduates in full-time employment are estimated to earn around £400,000 more (in gross terms) than full-time employees in general over their working lives. The attached note provides the analysis behind these figures. Sensitivity analysis suggests that these figures are robust to changes in the specific quarterly Labour Force Survey data used. Analysis of Gross Lifetime Differential 2. Table 1 shows the estimated lifetime earnings of graduates and the national average, based on gross earnings. Graduates are defined as individuals whose highest qualification is a first degree. Lifetime earnings are taken as earnings between the ages of 20 and 59. Graduates are included in the cohort to calculate average earnings. The analysis suggests that on average, graduates earn around £400,000 more than the national average.
	
		Table 1: Estimated Gross Lifetime earnings from main job by highest qualification, full-time employees, Great Britain
		
			  First Degree National Average Graduate lifetime earnings premium (£) 
			 All £1,075,000 £675,000 £400,000 
		
	
	Source: Labour Force Survey data from autumn 2000—Summer 2001.
	Additional notes on Methodology and Interpretation
	3. The figures in Table 1 are rounded to the nearest £25,000 because they are based on the Labour Force Survey, which is a sample survey. Weekly earnings are usually rounded to the nearest £10.
	4. The analysis is based on gross weekly average earnings for graduates and the national average, for the four quarters of the Labour Force Survey, autumn 2000 to summer 2001. The figures relate to full-time employees in Great Britain.
	5. Average weekly earnings were obtained for the following age groups: 20–24; 25–29; 30–34; 35–39; 40–49; and 50–59. Information on the employment rate of graduates and the national employment rate was also obtained for the same age groups. The gross weekly earnings figures were deflated by the respective employment rates to account for the fact that not all individuals are employed at any point.
	6. The deflated weekly earnings were averaged over the four quarters and grossed up to annual estimates for each age group. Since the averages relate to the age groups, they were taken as proxies for the average (deflated) annual earnings at each age in the group. Multiplying the averages by the number of years in the age group and summing across all groups provide an estimate of average lifetime earnings for graduates and the national average.
	Sensitivity analysis
	7. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to assess whether the estimated lifetime earnings differential changed according to the use of different quarters of LFS data. This analysis (see table 2) suggests that the lifetime earnings estimates fluctuate very little. Given this, the £400,000 figure seems to be a robust estimate.
	
		Table 2: Sensitivity analysis of lifetime earnings estimates 
		
			 Graduate lifetime earnings Graduate premium (£000) 
			 Quarters used in LFS for earnings data Autumn 2000–Summer 2001 Quarters used Autumn 2000–Summer 2001 
			 All four quarters £1,075,000 All four quarters £400,000 
			 All except spring £1,075,000 All except spring £400,000 
			 All except summer £1,075,000 All except summer £400,000 
			 All except autumn £1,075,000 All except autumn £375,000 
			 All except winter £1,075,000 All except winter £405,000 
		
	
	Source:
	Labour Force Survey.
	Department for Education and Skills
	Analytical Services: Higher Education Division
	November 2002

Connexions System

Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What right a parent has to know that a son or daughter is assigned a mentor under the Connexions system.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Connexions partnerships will generally advertise the existence of the Connexions service within their locality. In addition, through the partnership agreement, partnerships will work with schools, colleges and other appropriate institutions to make the availability of the Connexions service known to parents and their sons and daughters; letting them know that it is available to young people both within their school or institution and via Connexions one stop shops in the high street. Connexions personal advisers also strongly encourage young people to discuss any Connexions support with their parents but respect the right of the young person not to do so.
	Partnerships are not obliged to notify parents that their child is actively involved with Connexions—either in one-to-one sessions with a personal adviser or through more general group sessions. The exception to this may be if the personal adviser is working with a young person in a school where it has been agreed that the school's confidentiality policy is followed, which may give the parents the right to know this information.
	All information sharing policies drawn up by Connexions partnerhips must be in accordance with the Data Protection Act and other relevant legislation.

Connexions System

Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What qualifications are required for the post of mentor under the Connexions system.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Connexions personal advisers are drawn from a range of professional backgrounds. To be fully qualified they must possess an NVQ level 4 or equivalent in a relevant professional discipline (eg careers youth work, social work) and have attended a bespoke training programme, either Understanding Connexions or the Diploma for Connexions Personal Advisers. Training is delivered by higher education institutions approved by the Connexions service national unit.

Connexions System

Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many mentors under the Connexions system are in post; and how many of them have been subject to a Criminal Records Bureau check.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The latest management information collected from partnerships shows that at the end of December 2002 there were just over 6,000 Connexions personal advisers in post.
	Before being allowed any direct contact with young people, all personal advisers must, as a minimum, have been List 99 cleared (a DfES maintained list of people whose employment working with young people has been barred or restricted by the Secretary of State).
	Partnerships must also carry out Criminal Records Bureau checks on personal advisers. However, List 99 provides robust clearance on child protection issues while the CRB check is undertaken.
	The financial memorandum of Connexions partnerships requires Connexions partnerships to take all reasonable precautions to avoid employing any person convicted of a criminal offence involving an offence against the person, or an offence involving sexual behaviour, except with the prior written consent of the Secretary of State. Where the CRB check reveals other such criminal convictions, it is up to the partnership to decide if it wishes to obtain this consent.

Local Authority Housing Stock: Reletting

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Mr McNulty, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, on 30 January (HC Deb, 789W), why the only region that shows an improvement in the relet times for local authority dwellings between 1993–94 and 2001–02 is London; why there has been a 22 per cent average increase in reletting times across all local authorities in England (including London); and why there has been an average increase in reletting times across all rural authorities of 63 per cent; and
	Further to the Written Answer by Mr McNulty, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, on 30 January (HC Deb, 791W), why improvements in relet times for registered social landlord dwellings between 1996–97 and 2001–02 have been achieved only by the South East region; why there has been an average increase in relet times across all local authorities in England of 24 per cent; and why there has been an average increase in relet times across all rural authorities of 38 per cent.

Lord Rooker: We are extremely gratified that local authorities in London have shown a marked improvement between 1993–94 and 2001–02 in the average time it takes to relet their dwellings; and that registered social landlords have shown an improvement in average relet times across the South East between 1996–97 and 2001–02.
	The figures quoted for the average time taken to relet local authority housing stock should be treated with caution, however. These figures are based on estimates provided by local autorities as part of their annual housing investment programme returns and there are likely to be variations in the way local authorities maintain their lettings records and compile these estimates.
	One factor contributing to the increase in average relet times is likely to be the impact of low demand on housing, since the largest increases are in the regions which are experiencing the most acute level of low demand—North West, North East, Yorkshire and Humberside and West Midlands. In these regions we are tackling the problem head on through the establishment of nine sub-regional pathfinder projects to address the most acute problems of low demand. We have recently announced in Sustainable Communities: Building for the future an additional investment of £500 million in the next three years for these pathfinder projects. An important part of returning these areas to sustainability is ensuring that there is a better balance between supply and demand for housing across all tenures (including the social housing stock).
	The Government are committed to the adoption by local authorities of customer-focused, choice-based lettings policies. We believe that this is the best way to ensure sustainable lettings and stable and viable communities. We are funding a pilot scheme to test different choice-based lettings approaches and are monitoring their effect on relet times as part of the evaluation of the pilot scheme.

Starter Home Initiative

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	(a) which organisations were successful in bidding for a part of the starter home initiative funds of £250 million announced in April 2000; (b) how many homes have been built so far; (c) how many of those are in rural areas; (d) what proportion of the total build has used hitherto empty homes; and (e) what proportion of the total has been built on brownfield sites.

Lord Rooker: The list of successful bidders for starter home initiative funding is set out below: Airways Housing Group Aldwyck Housing Association Angevin Specialist Homes Apex Housing Group Beacon Housing Association Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association Boleyn & Forest Housing Association Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire District Council in conjunction with Knightstone and Sovereign Housing Associations Bromford Housing Group Bush Housing Association Cambridgeshire Employers' Consortium in conjunction with Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association (the HA will manage the scheme) Chiltern Hundreds Housing Association Cotswold District Council Devon and Cornwall Housing Association East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust in conjunction with St Pancras Housing Association (the HA will manage the scheme) East Sussex local authorities in conjunction with Moat Housing Association (Moat HA will run the scheme) Guildford Borough Council Hampshire County Council (Swaythling HA will manage the scheme) Hampshire Voluntary Housing Society Keys to the Capital Consortium (comprises Tower Homes, Metropolitan Home Ownership, Notting Hill Home Ownership and Boleyn & Forest Housing) Knightstone Housing Society London Cyrenians Housing Maidenhead & District Housing Association Merlion Housing Group Metropolitan Home Ownership Midsummer Housing Association Moat Housing Association Mount Green Housing Association Northcote Housing Association Notting Hill Home Ownership (NHHO) Oakfern Housing Pan Oxford Healthcare Partnership (Northcote HA will manage the scheme) Peabody Trust Raglan Housing Association Ridgehill Housing Association St George plc (NHHO will manage the scheme) Sarsen Housing Association Servite Homes Signpost Housing Association Soha Housing Southampton City Council (Swaythling HA will manage the scheme) Southern Housing Home Ownership Sovereign Housing Association Sutherland Housing Association Swaythling Housing Association Swindon Borough Council (Sarsen HA will manage the scheme) Taywood Homes Ltd (in partnership with Chelmsford Borough Council to manage the scheme) Taywood Homes Ltd (Genesis Housing Group will manage the scheme) Thames Valley Housing Association Touchstone Housing Association Tower Homes Town and Country Housing Group Unitary Ltd (in partnership with Peabody Trust) Wandsworth Council (NHHO will manage the scheme) Western Challenge Housing Association
	Of the 2011 key workers helped by the starter home initiative as at 31 January 2003, around 200 purchased new build homes. Of these 20 are in local authorities with rural districts.
	Details of schemes utilising hitherto empty homes or brownfield sites are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.